Setting Goals, the Right Way, for the New Year

December is one of the
busiest times of year because of family, holidays, and travel. But
December is also the time to prepare for 2015. If there are some health
or life goals that wasn’t accomplished in 2014, this is usually the time
people reflect on 2014 with the hopes of accomplishing them next year.

Change
in your health begins with you. You have to be truly wanting to do
something different from what you are already doing. The next step is to
create short and long term goals. Once these goals are discovered, they
should be written down. One of the most overlooked parts to
accomplishing goals is creating a plan. The best way to creating a plan
is with the “5 Hows”. The 5 Hows is a questioning process to reach the
root of solutions.

For example, your goal is “I want to lose weight”.

1. How? “By eating better”.

2. How? “By eating less.”

3. How? “By controlling portions”, and so on.

Once
the goal and the plan is set, the next step is implementing commitment.
This tends to be the most difficult task. So difficult that most people
that create New Year goals quit after two weeks in their journey.

If
you noticed this is a pattern for you, start looking for a buddy with
similar goals to help you along. Alert family members of what your goals
are and ask for their support or participation.

Remind yourself of your goals by posting them at home, work, car, or even on your cell phone.

Encouragement
and rewards are great ways to solidify commitment. If your goal is to
lose weight or eat better, check your progress daily or weekly. If the
results are not favorable, it is the perfect time to alter strategy to
get better results.

The
final thing you need is to dispel negativity from yourself and others.
Anything worth obtaining is going to be hard work to receive desirable
outcomes. There may be doubt or negativity that can fester and deter you
from what you want.